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. 2022 Apr 23:2022:3403086.
doi: 10.1155/2022/3403086. eCollection 2022.

Deciphering the Pharmacological Potentials of Methanol Extract of Sterculia foetida Seeds Using Experimental and Computational Approaches

Najmul Alam  1   2 , Naureen Banu  1 , Nobi Ul Alam  1 , Umme Ruman  1 , Zidan Khan  1 , Md Arfin Ibn Aziz  3 , Niloy Barua  1   2 , Farhana Jahan Chy  1 , Afrin Jahan  1 , Tamalika Sarker Juthy  4 , Mohamed A Nassan  5 , Salah M El-Bahy  6 , Amany Abdel-Rahman Mohamed  7 , Mohammed Aktar Sayeed  1 , Talha Bin Emran  8
Affiliations

Deciphering the Pharmacological Potentials of Methanol Extract of Sterculia foetida Seeds Using Experimental and Computational Approaches

Najmul Alam et al. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. .

Abstract

The edible herb Sterculia foetida L. has potential nutraceutical and medicinal effects. The present study is performed to assess the possible antidiabetic, neuropharmacological, and antidiarrheal activity of the methanolic extract of S. foetida seeds (MESF) through in vitro, in vivo, and in silico approaches. When compared to standard acarbose, the results of the antidiabetic study provided strong proof that the glucose level in the MESF was gradually decreased by inhibiting the function of α-amylase enzymes. The sedative potential of MESF (200 and 400 mg/kg) was determined by employing open field, hole cross, and thiopental sodium-induced sleeping time tests, which revealed significant reductions in locomotor performance and increased sleep duration following MESF treatment. In addition, mice treated with MESF exhibited superior exploration during elevated plus maze and hole board tests. MESF also showed good antidiarrheal activity in castor oil-induced diarrhea and intestinal motility tests. Previously isolated compounds (captan, 1-azuleneethanol, acetate, and tetraconazole) exhibited good binding affinity in docking studies and drug-likeliness properties in absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion/toxicity (ADME/T), and toxicological studies. Collectively, these results indicate the bioactivity of S. foetida, which represents a potential candidate in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Inhibition of α-amylase by MESF and acarbose at various concentrations. MEAM: methanol extract of S. foetida.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effects of treatment with the methanolic extract of S. foetida (MESF) in mice on performance in the open field test. Values are the mean ± SEM (n = 6); p < 0.05, p < 0.01, and p < 0.001, based on Dunnett's test compared with control mice.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effects of treatment with the methanolic extract of S. foetida (MESF) in mice on performance in the hole cross test. Values are the mean ± SEM (n = 6); p < 0.05, p < 0.01, and p < 0.001, based on Dunnett's test compared with control mice.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effects of treatment with the methanolic extract of S. foetida (MESF) in mice on performance in the elevated plus maze (EPM) test. Values are the mean ± SEM (n = 6); p < 0.001, based on Dunnett's test compared with control mice.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Effects of treatment with the methanolic extract of S. foetida (MESF) in mice on performance in the hole board test. Values are the mean ± SEM (n = 6); p < 0.05, p < 0.01, and p < 0.001, based on Dunnett's test compared with control mice.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Effects of treatment with the methanolic extract of S. foetida (MESF) in mice on the performance in the forced swim test. Values are the mean ± SEM (n = 6); p < 0.001, based on Dunnett's test compared with control mice.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Effects of treatment with the methanolic extract of S. foetida (MESF) in mice on the performance in the tail suspension test. Values are the mean ± SEM (n = 6); p < 0.001, based on Dunnett's test compared with control mice.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Effects of the S. foetida methanolic extract treatment on castor oil-induced diarrhea in mice. Values are the mean ± SEM (n = 6); p < 0.001, based on Dunnett's test compared with control mice.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Effects of the S. foetida methanolic extract on charcoal-induced intestinal motility in mice. Values are the mean ± SEM (n = 6); p < 0.01 and p < 0.001, based on Dunnett's test compared with control mice.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Molecular docking interactions for (a) captan and diazepam with human gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor for sedative activity (PDB ID : 4COF) and for (b) 1-azuleneethanol, acetate and diazepam with the potassium channel for anxiolytic activity (PDB ID : 4UUJ).
Figure 11
Figure 11
Molecular docking interaction of tetraconazole and imipramine with human serotonin receptor for antidepressant activity (PDB ID : 5I6X).
Figure 12
Figure 12
Molecular docking interaction of tetraconazole and loperamide with M3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor for antidiarrheal activity (PDB ID : 4U14).
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